The ClimbRePosted
by LPfan4ever
Summary: Lucas proposes to Peyton and she says someday and he leaves the hotel room. A few months later Peyton gets a call that tragedy has struck back home. How will this effect her? Will she be able to fix the past?
1. Chapter 1

**Ok so I found this story that I previously thought was lost! I posted it a few years ago and it was one of the stories lost when this site deleted all of my stories! I've gone back through and changed a few things but the story is still pretty much the same! I'm posting chapter 1 and if you guys want me to repost it I will repost the whole thing since it is one of the stories that I have finished! I may even add to it but only if you guys are interested! Let me know and don't worry I'm working on my new story as well and chapter 1 of it will be posted either tomorrow or Thursday!**

**Brief summary: Lucas proposes to Peyton and she says someday and he leaves the hotel room and gets the call from Lindsey that she wants to publish his book so he heads to New York. A few months later Peyton gets a call that tragedy has struck in Tree Hill. What has happened and how will this affect Peyton? Just so you know Lucas and Lindsey are not a couple in this story. Lindsey is strictly his editor.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing I wish I did but I don't.**

**The song is The Climb by Miley Cyrus.**

**Chapter 1: Coming Home**

Peyton Sawyer has been living in L.A. for two years now but she really misses her home town of Tree Hill, NC. What she misses most is the boy who proposed to her and she told someday. After that he left her alone in a hotel room because he thought she was saying no.

I can almost see it  
>That dream I am dreaming<br>But there's a voice inside my head saying  
>"You'll never reach it"<p>

"Hey P. Sawyer how are you doing today?" Brooke asks her once Peyton answers her phone.

"Hey B I wasn't expecting you to call me this morning what's going on?"

"Not much I was just feeling home sick so I wanted to hear a voice that made me think of home."

"I miss home too Brooke. Do you ever think of going back?"

Every step I'm taking  
>Every move I make feels<br>Lost with no direction  
>My faith is shaking<p>

"Yeah I think about it all of the time. Do you think about going back?"

"Sometimes but then I think of Lucas and how I would be able to face him. It has been three months since he left me here. I don't know how I could handle seeing him nearly all the time."

"I know Peyton and I understand. I've been there but the pain does get easier you just have to push through it."

"But how Brooke? How do I get over the only man I will ever truly love?" Peyton asks starting to cry.

"You just have to take one day at a time and hope like hell it'll go away in time."

"Thank you for being such a great friend Brooke. Do you think if I decide to go back you could take a few days off and go with me?"

"Peyton if you go back for good then I am going back for good. I am tired of the circus that is my life here in New York."

But I gotta keep trying  
>Gotta keep my head held high<p>

"Ok Brooke thank you. But I think I am going to go take a shower and get ready for work. I love you B. Davis and I miss you."

"I love you too P. Sawyer I miss you so much as well. I think I am going to plan a trip out there soon to see you."

"I would really like that Brooke I could use you here with me."

"Ok P I will be there as soon as possible. Have a good day."

"Oh yeah I will have a blast." Peyton says as she hangs up.

There's always gonna be another mountain  
>I'm always gonna wanna make it move<br>Always gonna be a uphill battle  
>Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose<p>

"Hey Luke you are covered in sweat don't you think maybe you should slow down a bit? I mean with your heart and all."

Lucas looks at his brother shaking his head "I can't Nate. I can't stop thinking about Peyton and the more I think about her the more I want, no the more I need to play. My heart is fine." he continues to shoot the ball without hesitation.

Nathan shakes his head watching his brother his heart breaking for him. "Lucas you have got to talk to Peyton. She told me that she loves you and that she does want to marry you just not now. Why can't you wait Luke?"

He glares at Nathan "Because I love her and if she loves me then why should we wait? If she really loves me then why isn't she ready to marry me? I just don't understand it at all. God why are women so complicated." Lucas says screaming.

"Ok Luke calm down I know that all of this stress can not be good on your heart." Nathan says trying to calm his brother down not wanting anything to happen to him.

"Nathan damn it my heart is just fine." just then Lucas has a sharp pain in his chest and his left arm goes numb he looks at Nathan with an expression that seems to be frozen in pain.

Ain't about how fast I get there  
>Ain't about what's waiting on the other side<br>It's the climb

"Lucas, Luke are you ok?" Nathan asks as Lucas falls to the ground Nathan grabs his phone and calls 9-1-1. "My brother has just collapsed I think he is having a heart attack. He has HCM and he has had a heart attack before." A few minutes later an ambulance arrives and Nathan rides to the hospital with Lucas. Once he gets to the hospital he calls Haley and tells her what happened. "Haley I think Lucas had another heart attack. We are at the hospital and the doctors are with him but I don't know if he is going to be ok or not."

"Oh my God Nathan what happened?" she says immediately worried for her friend and brother in-law.

"I found Lucas at the river court playing basketball and then while we were talking he just collapsed. I don't know what's going on Haley but I need you." Nathan asks his voice pleading.

"Ok Nathan I'm on my way now. I am going to have to bring Jamie with me but we are on our way. Do you want me to call Karen?" she asks reassuring her husband that she is coming to be with him.

The struggles I'm facing  
>The chances I'm taking<br>Sometimes might knock me down  
>But no, I'm not breaking<p>

"Will you please? Can you also call Brooke for me too she would want to know?" he asks.

"I will call them both but what about Peyton should we call her." she asks hesitantly.

"Of course you should or you could let Brooke tell her either way I think she has a right to know." he replies.

"Ok I will be there as soon as I can. I love you baby and Lucas is a fighter he will be ok." she says mostly to convince herself.

"I love you too Haley." Nathan hangs up the phone.

I may not know it  
>But these are the moments that<br>I'm gonna remember most, yeah  
>Just gotta keep going<p>

**Haley has already called Karen and now she is talking to Brooke.**

"Hey Haley this is a nice surprise you calling me this early." Brooke says answering the phone.

"Brooke I am sorry but this isn't a social call. Lucas is in the hospital." Haley blurts out without really waiting for a reply from her friend.

"What happened Haley? Have you called Karen and Peyton?" Brooke asks firing off questions worriedly.

"He was on the river court playing basketball and as far as I can tell from what Nathan told me they sort of had a heated discussion and Lucas just collapsed. I just got off the phone with Karen but I didn't know if I should call Peyton or if you should be the one to tell her." Haley replies nervously.

"Ok Haley I'll call Peyton and I will be on the first flight home. I love you guys and if you see Lucas tell him we are coming home." she tells her friend.

"You really think Peyton will come?" Haley ask worried that the blonde won't come home but knowing that Lucas needs her to come home.

And I, I got to be strong  
>Just keep pushing on<p>

"You bet your ass she will if I have to fly to California and drag her back." Brooke says instantly and with purpose.

"Ok Brooke just be careful getting here." They hang up and Brooke calls Peyton.

"Hey Brooke didn't I just hang up from you not an hour ago?" Peyton says laughing as she answers.

"Peyton I have some bad news." Brooke says and Peyton can tell she's been crying.

"Brooke what's wrong what happened?" Peyton asks nervously praying Lucas is okay.

"Lucas is in the hospital Nathan thinks he has had another heart attack. I am going to make you a plane reservation for the first available flight home. Is that ok?" Brooke blurts out all at once.

'Cause there's always gonna be another mountain  
>I'm always gonna wanna make it move<br>Always gonna be a uphill battle  
>Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose<p>

"Are you kidding me of course that is ok? I am going to turn around and go back home and pack a bag then I am going to the airport. Call me if you hear anything else." Peyton says as she turns her car around and heads back to her apartment to start packing.

"Ok I will call you with the flight arrangements as soon as I know them. I love you Peyton and try to stay calm." Brooke says worried about her friend.

"I don't know if I can Brooke." Peyton says honestly.

"I know honey but we all have to stay strong for Lucas." Brooke says then hangs up to make the arrangements.

Ain't about how fast I get there  
>Ain't about what's waiting on the other side<br>It's the climb, yeah!

"Family for Lucas Scott?" The doctor calls as he walks out of the emergency room.

"I'm his brother. How is he? Is he ok?" Nathan says jumping up from his seat.

"Well your brother has had a sever heart attack and right now the outcome looks pretty bad. We have him in a drug induced coma. I am so sorry but it doesn't look like he is going to pull through this. His vital signs are week and his heart has pretty much given out." the doctor says looking grim.

"Can we see him?" Haley asks.

There's always gonna be another mountain  
>I'm always gonna wanna make it move<br>Always gonna be an uphill battle  
>Somebody's gonna have to lose<p>

"Yes but only for a few minutes and only one at a time since he is in the ICU unit. One of you can follow me back."

Haley looks at Nathan and says "You go ahead and go see him first." So Nathan follows the doctor back to see Lucas. When he enters the room he sees Lucas lying in the bed with tubes and wires coming out of his body. Nathan breaks down crying as he takes a

seat by the bed.

Ain't about how fast I get there  
>Ain't about what's waiting on the other side<br>It's the climb, yeah!

"God Lucas you can't leave me. I am not ready to lose you yet we all need you man. You have got to beat these odds. You have to come back to us." Nathan can't sit there and just watch his brother dying so he decides to let Haley visit with Lucas for awhile. When he gets back to the waiting room he sees that Skills and Mouth have arrived. "Haley if you want to go back and see him now you can."

"Nathan honey are you ok?" Haley asks as she is crying too.

"I just can't stand seeing him like that. I can't lose him Haley I can't lose my brother." He says crying as she pulls him to her. "Did you call Karen and Brooke?"

"I did Karen is on her way home now and Brooke said she would take the first flight out. She also said she would call Peyton for us."

"That's good you should go see Lucas." So Haley walks back to see Lucas.

"Hey buddy." She says as she sits beside his bed "You know that you have a lot of people on their way home to see you. God Luke you have got to wake up we all need you. Jamie needs his Uncle Lucas, I need my best friend and Nathan needs his brother. Please Luke I know that the doctors are saying that you won't make it but I know better than that. You have to wake up."

Brookes plane lands and she realizes that Peyton's plane is only a few minutes behind her own so she decides to say and wait for her friend so that neither of them have to arrive alone.

Finally Peyton's plane lands and Brooke sees Peyton walking towards her and she can tell that she has been crying.

"Peyton have you been crying since I called you?" Brooke asks wrapping her arms around her long time friend.

"I can't stop crying Brooke. I talked to Haley before the plane took off and did you know that they don't think he will make it? The doctors have pretty much given up hope." Peyton tells her with tears running down her face.

"Oh my God no I didn't know that at all. Come on let's get to the hospital." Brooke says as they walk arm and arm out of the airport.

Keep on moving, keep climbing  
>Keep the faith, baby<br>It's all about, it's all about the climb  
>Keep the faith, keep your faith, whoa<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Well there is chapter 1! Let me know if you want me to post the whole story! I'm not really looking for reviews on this story I just don't want to re-post it if nobody cares or wants to re-read it. Thanks guys and like I said if you guys are interested I will probably add to it I think it only had 9 chapters to it so I can add more if wanted. I've re-read the whole thing and I've got some ideas to continue. Let me know!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry it took a few extra days longer than I expected! But I had an amazing offer from Biddy429 that I couldn't pass up! She is now going to beta this story for me and help me make it better! So I have to take a minute and say thank you to her for the suggestions that she made for this chapter because I believe they make the chapter a lot better.**

**Now I have to also thank all of the readers for being so interested in reading this story again! I know that a handful of you read the story in the past and if you remember it I'm hoping you will find that it will be better this time around. For those of you that have never read this story I hope you enjoy it. I'm having more fun with it this time around so I hope that will help make it a better story for everyone. Thank you for all of the reviews I do appreciate them...Now here is Chapter 2 :-)**

**Song: Rascal Flatts 'What Hurts The Most'**

**Chapter 2**

_I can take the rain on the roof of this empty house,_

_That don't bother me,_

_I can take a few tears now and then and just let them out,_

_I'm not afraid to cry every once in a while… _

"Nathan!" Brooke cries as soon as she sees him standing in the hospital corridor.

"Oh Brooke thank God you're here" Nathan cries, he has not yet seen Peyton. "I don't know how I am going to live without him Brooke. God I am going to miss him so much" as tears fall down his face.

"Nathan what happened? Did Lucas, um, oh God is he….?" Brooke stammers, almost unable to finish her sentence. She glances up at Peyton who has slid down the wall crying. Just then Nathan looks up and realises that Peyton is there, he immediately rushes to her side.

"Hey Sawyer come here, don't listen to me, it will be okay, I promise, we will all get through this together" He says as he gently rocks her.

"Oh Nate this is all my fault, if I had only said yes to him we would have been together and this wouldn't have happened." Peyton says crying and blaming herself for not being there for Lucas.

_Even though going on with you gone still upsets me,_

_there are days every now and again I pretend I'm ok,_

_but that's not what gets me…_

"Peyton this isn't your fault, when you said "someday" you weren't to know this would happen" Brooke says sitting down beside Peyton and Nathan. Just then Haley comes around the corner carrying Jamie.

"Brooke, Peyton. oh I am so glad you guys are here. This has been a very rough day for everyone" Haley says "Do one of you want to go back and see him?"

"Is he still unconscious?" Brooke asks

"Yeah they said they were going to keep him that way. They haven't said it but I get the feeling that they are only keeping him alive until everyone gets here to say their goodbyes" Haley says after she has pulled Brooke away from Nathan and Peyton.

"Peyton, do you want to go see him?" Brooke asks nervously knowing how her friend reacts in situations like this.

_What hurts the most was being so close and having so much to say,_

_and watching you walk away…_

"No…no, you go ahead Brooke I don't think I can right now" So Brooke goes in to see Lucas.

"Hey Luke it's me Brook. Look honey you have got to wake up for me okay? Peyton and Nathan are both beating themselves up over this. You have to come back to us, please Luke we all need you here with us. I promise you that your life is going to be great. God Luke I can't do this I can't lose you after everything that we have been through, but right now your brother and the girl you love need you more than anything else. Please come back to us Lucas, I love you." Brooke says then she just sits there holding his hand for a while.

_And never knowing what could have been, _

_and not seeing that loving you is what I was tryin' to do…_

"Haley!" she hears her name being called.

She looks up to see Karen walking towards her. "Karen, thank god, I am so glad that you are finally here" Haley says as they hug each other.

"Is there any change, any more news? How is he?" Karen asks her heart breaking.

"No I'm sorry Karen, not since the last time I talked to you. Brooke is back there with him just now but I take you through to him and I'm sure she won't mind leaving so that his mom can be with him" Haley says as she turns to lead Karen to Lucas' room.

"So has everyone been in to see him yet?" she asks.

"Well Nathan, Brooke, Skills, Mouth and I have but Peyton still won't go back there. All she has done since she has been here is sit there and cry" Haley explains with a sad tone to her voice. She knows Peyton needs to go back and see Lucas but she also knows that she has to do it in her own time but she is afraid she might wait too long and miss this opportunity. "She just needs time Haley but I am sure she will find her way to his side eventually she usually does." Karen says as they get to the room where Lucas is.

They arrive at Lucas's room and Brooke stands up to greet Karen…."Karen" Brooke says as she hugs the older woman. "I will go so you can have some time with him" as she moves towards the door.

_It's hard to deal with the pain of losing you everywhere I go,_

_but I'm doin', _

_It's hard to force that smile when I see our old friends and I'm alone, _

_Still Harder…._

"Thank you for being such a good friend to him Brooke." Karen says hugging her back. Brooke and Haley both leave the room.

Karen takes the seat beside her son's bed and begins to talk to him softly…"Hi my baby boy. Look I don't like seeing you laying in this hospital bed, so I need you to be okay Lucas. Lilly and I both need you to be okay. We both love you so much, In fact you have more people here who love you than you might realize. Lucas, Peyton is taking this pretty hard, so you really need to wake up for her, if for nobody else. The last time we talked you told me you didn't think Peyton loved you anymore. Well I am here to tell you that you are very wrong about that. Peyton is in that waiting room right now and I can see the love she has for you it's written all over her face. Baby, please wake up because this world would be lost without you" Karen says then she starts singing….. _You Are My Sunshine_…

_Getting up, getting dressed,_

_livin' with this regret, _

_but I know if I could do it over, _

_I would trade give away all the words that I saved in my heart that I left unspoken….._

It is evening now and everyone has gone home with the exception of Karen and Peyton. Peyton is still avoiding going to see Lucas.

Karen leaves Lucas's room for a moment or two and speaks to Peyton… "Peyton honey how are you holding up?" Karen says as she gently rubs her shoulder.

"Oh Karen, I'm a mess and I'm not doing too good. I want to go back there and see him, but what do I say? How do I face him when if it wasn't for me none of this would be happening?"

"Look here Peyton Sawyer; this ISN'T your fault, so please stop blaming yourself. Just tell him what's in your heart. That is the only thing that matters, he needs you Peyton just as much as you need him. Your voice is the only one he hasn't heard yet and I think he needs to hear it. But I won't push you, just take your time." Karen says as she stands up and says "I am going to go get some coffee would you like some?"

_What hurts the most is being so close and having so much to say_

_and watching you walk away…._

"No thank you Karen" Peyton says shaking her head. Once Karen has left to go get some coffee Peyton comes to a decision, she rises slowly and makes her way to Lucas's room. She reaches his bedside and sits down slowly beside him and takes his hand in hers. She is shocked at how pale he looks and cannot believe that this was the same tanned and healthy looking boy she loved so much.

"Hi Lucas, is me Peyton, I'm not really sure if you even want me here but I am. God Lucas I don't even know what to say right now, I am so, so very sorry for everything, if I would have only said "yes" to you this wouldn't have happened. I need you Lucas, I need you to wake up and show me those beautiful blue eyes. Lucas Scott if you will just wake up and come back to me, I will marry you whenever you want. I love you with all of my heart you are my world Lucas and these last few months without you have been hell for me. I can't imagine living my entire life without you, so please baby you need to come back to me" Peyton finished on a sob.

Peyton took a deep breath and continued…..

"Luke remember when you fixed my car? Well, you fixed my heart then too Luke so I really need my heart fixed again and that means that you have to wake up to do that. I love you Lucas, remember what we used to say "True Love Always" Peyton whispers as she lays her head down on the bed beside his hand and quickly drifts off to sleep. What Peyton didn't see when she told him how much she loved him was Lucas's eyelids fluttering.

_And never knowing what could have been,_

_and not seeing that loving you is what I was trying to do…._

Karen returns after getting her coffee and is pleased that Peyton finally came to see Lucas, she smiles to herself when she sees her asleep and holding his hand in hers. Now she knows that even if her beautiful son never wakes up that he has always been truly loved throughout his life. A tear falls slowly down her cheek.

The next morning the doctor walks into the room "Ms Roe we need to speak with you about your sons condition, preferably alone" he says gently glancing towards Peyton.

Karen answers immediately "No doctor, I would really like for Peyton to stay, anything you have to tell me you can say in front of her as she deserves the right to hear as well".

"Okay then" he replies and nods. The doctor takes a seat near Karen and begins…."Well we have the results of the tests we ran on Lucas this morning and unfortunately there does not appear to be any change since yesterday. I have to be brutally honest but I there is nothing we can do now for him other than make him as comfortable as possible. I am so very sorry about this; I know how much you were hoping for good news".

Both Karen and Peyton were devastated and they both reached for each other's hands in comfort. The doctor continued to speak….

"Do you have any questions for me?" he says sympathetically.

_What hurts the most is being so close and having so much to say_

_and watching you walk away….._

"Yes doctor, I have a question. Can Lucas hear what we say to him?" Peyton asks glancing towards Lucas.

"Well although it is obvious that he cannot communicate with us, there are no reports to say that a patient cannot hear what is being said to them, in fact I would indeed thoroughly recommend that you do speak to him whilst he is in a comatose state, it would do no harm whatsoever"

"Okay so tell me, why you are talking like this right beside him; he may be listening to this. I just know that he will get better, he is not going to die, he has too much to live for and there are a lot of people who love him in his life and they are all fighting for him to stay alive. Lucas is a fighter, he will come through this. I think your test results are all wrong, people can defy the odds, Lucas is one of them" said Peyton with sheer determination in her voice.

Turning to Karen the doctor says "Look I understand that this is hard to accept but the tests don't lie, I am sorry"

_And never knowing what could have been and not seeing that_

_loving you is what I was trying to do….._

It was Karen who spoke next, "Well Doctor, can I just say that you don't know my son at all. He has beat the odds before and I agree with Peyton, he will survive this and he will come back to us" She then adds, "If that is all you can give us then we would appreciate being left alone with Lucas now, we need to speak to him and reassure him that he will be fine and we are all there for him. So can I ask you to leave us now please?" The doctor rose and turned to leave, taking one last look at the boy in the bed, he shook his head in disbelief, he would never understand how determined some families and loved ones could be but there again he had never had the misfortune to have someone close to him come so close to death before.

Peyton looked at Karen and immediately began to apologise for her outburst, "God I'm so sorry Karen, I shouldn't have said any of that but I couldn't help it, they just seem to be giving up on him and I….." Before she could continue Karen cut her short.

"Peyton please do not apologize to me for what you said. You spoke the truth and from the heart and you were helping my son and the boy you so obviously love. That means so much to me and I am sure it means more to Lucas. Now, you heard the doctor, they believe that he can hear us so maybe if we just keep talking to him, he will respond" she says as she leans over to hug the younger girl.

"I think you are right Karen and if we don't give up hope then Lucas may get better and come back to us, all of us".

Peyton then turns to Lucas and begins to speak softly to him "Baby you hear me and your Mom? We want you to come back and we are fighting for you, Lucas Scott. I love you more than anything in this world and you will come back to me." Just then Lucas' eyes flutter again but this time Karen and Peyton both see it.

_Not seeing that loving you, _

_that's what I was trying to do…_

_Ooohhh..._

* * *

><p><strong>Well let me know what you think about this chapter!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Well here is the next chapter! I'm so sorry it took so long to get it up. My wonderful Beta has been ill and I've also been ill so I haven't had much time to write or do much of anything. I am working on the next chapter of Does This Get Easier I'm sorry that one is taking so long as well but it's been really difficult to write for it for some reason. I've thought of taking it down until I can write more then repost it once I've got a few chapters written but I really don't want to do that to you guys so I'll eventually get the next chapter written and posted. Thanks for reading my stories. Hope you enjoy this...**

**Chapter 3 Broken**

**_The Song: Broken by Lindsey Haun_**

_Wake up to a sunny day, not a cloud up in the sky  
>then it starts to rain.<br>My defences hit the ground, and they shatter all around_

"Oh my Peyton did you see that?" Karen asks in disbelief unable to take her eyes from the prone figure on the bed.

"Yes, I think did, his eyes just fluttered, didn't they? Wh…at does this mean?" Peyton asks confused.

"I don't know but what I do know is that we should get the doctor back in here" Karen says looking at Peyton now.

"Yes, that's a good idea, I will go get him, you stay with him Karen" replies Peyton as she turns to leave the room. It is not long before she returns with the doctor in tow.

The doctor enters the room and walks immediately over to where Lucas is lying on the bed. He leans towards Lucas and gently lifts each eye lid in turn and shins a light in them He does not speak whilst he does this however when he has completed his task, he steps back and speaks slowly. "Okay well I am not one hundred percent sure but what I think you both witnessed here was simple but normal reaction. There are times when coma patients make involuntary movements as a result of the medication they have been receiving. I do not want to get your hopes up but I doubt if this is anything other than one of these episodes. I know you would like to believe that it is more than what it is but I can assure you that it is not the case. From what I see here there really is no improvement in Lucas' condition" he explains slowly to both Karen and Peyton in an effort to make them both understand that there really is no hope at this stage.

"I…I… d..don't understand, I saw his eyes flutter, that can't just be a reaction, it must be something more….." stutters Peyton now becoming very distressed.

_So open and exposed  
>but I find strength in the struggle<br>face to face with my trouble_

"Ladies, I am so very sorry but I cannot lie to you, I have seen this many times before and I can honestly say that all the test results are showing the same information, there really is no hope. We can only make him comfortable as possible, and I must warn you that there may be more episodes such as this one so please be prepared for them and please try and not build up your hopes too much, it will neither help Lucas or yourselves come to terms with what is happening here" replies the doctor with resolution as he turns to exit the room. At the door he turns and looks back at the scene before him, the grieving mother and the distressed girlfriend. He thought to himself that there were times he would never understand losing a life but he had hardened himself to it over the years, it was just part of the job and he accepted it.

Just at the doctor had made his way from Lucas's room out into the corridor, Nathan walked into the room and asked "What did the doctor say, I just passed him in the corridor?" as he looked from Karen to Peyton for an answer.

It was Peyton who replied in a broken tone "He says that they don't think Lucas is going to get better and we shouldn't get our hopes up and have to prepare for the worst, but Nathan, we seen his eye lids flutter this morning, we both did twice. He has to wake up and he will get well, I just know he will come back to us" she said with a determination she did not feel as she turned to take his hand in hers once again.

It all seemed to get too much for Peyton at that point and she turned and almost sobbed "I am sorry, I…I can't do this right now, I need to go get some fresh air, I'll be back in a few minutes" and rushed from the room.

Nathan is worried about Peyton, "Karen she doesn't seem to be holding up very well does she?" Peyton has become a very good friend to him and he knows what she is like, she will be blaming herself for this and no matter what anyone says to the contrary she will not accept anything else.

"No she isn't doing well at all Nathan, she blames herself for all of this and I really don't know what to say to her at all. I know she loves Lucas with all her heart, so I suppose she will get her strength from that, or at least I hope she will" Karen sighs softly and leans over to take Nathans hand in hers while she speaks to him "Nathan, I need you to do something too, I need you to stop blaming yourself, this was no more your fault than it was Peyton's, neither of you could have avoided this, it's just something unfortunate that has happened and we need to deal with it and accept it, we need to be strong for one another and for Lucas now".

Nathan looks from Karen to Lucas and says "You know, I can't help thinking there was something more I could have done, but I will take your advice Karen, I will try and put my feelings of guilt aside because they are not helping anyone at all. Thanks for that Karen"

"Your very welcome Nathan" replies Karen.

"Hey, if you don't mind I am gonna go find Peyton and try and talk to her, maybe….." he adds and moves towards the door to go find Peyton. Just as he reaches the door Karen speaks again "No Nathan, you stay here with your brother, talk to him and I will go find Peyton and talk to her, woman to woman" she says with a gentle smile playing about her mouth.

Nathan agrees to stay with Lucas and takes a seat beside his bed whilst Karen turns to go find Peyton.

_When you're broken, in a million little pieces  
>and you're trying, but you can't hold on anymore<em>

Nathan talks to Lucas.."Hey man how are you doing today? Look, you gotta wake up Luke, Peyton really needs you right now, she is a mess right now, she blames herself for this so you need to wake up and tell her it's not her fault, you need to tell her how you really feel about her. She loves you Luke, so you need to wake up and get out of this bed and start living your life with the girl you love! Whilst I am lecturing you I should mention that it's not just Peyton who needs you, your mom needs you, I need you, Haley and Brooke need you, and Jamie needs you too, hell what am I talking about, Junk, Skills and Mouth all need you, you gotta wake up man! I never thought I would say this to you Luke, ever, but I love you, we all love you and what would I do without my big brother and what would Jamie do without his uncle Lucas? We've been through so much in the last few years together, you can't give up on us now so, come on Luke at least give a sign that you can hear me and prove that all the doctors are wrong. If you can hear me Lucas, try and squeeze my hand or open your eyes please do something, give me a sign" Nathan just sits there despondently and stares at Lucas, mentally begging him to show him that he understands what he is saying to him.

Nathan is almost about to give up but just then he feels a slight pressure on his hand, he is positive that Lucas just squeezed his hand. It was a very light touch so he could have been imagining it but he was almost positive that he felt something. This spurs Nathan on to speak again to him with some encouragement "Come on Luke, wake up, I know you are still in there, come on bro!"

Nathan hears a noise at the door and turns his head to see Haley enter the room. He is excited to tell someone what he just felt "Hales, look I am sure Lucas just squeezed my hand" Haley immediately goes to her husband and gives him a heartfelt hug and says "Honey, I know you want him to wake up, he is your brother after all but we need to try and accept all of this, I know it's hard but please don't torture yourself like this, I don't like to see you hurting so" said Haley in a comforting voice.

"Haley, I know what I felt, look I am goin to go for a walk, you sit with him and hold his hand and I bet you will feel it too, Karen and Peyton seen his eyes flutter but the doc says it's one of those things that happens with coma patients" explained Nathan unconvincingly.

Nathan turned to Lucas before leaving the room and clasped his hand in his and said "I'll be back soon Luke, if you can hear me then wake up and at least talk to Haley, please Luke?"

Haley takes the vacant seat at Lucas's bedside and leans forward to take his pale hand in hers.

_Every tear falls down for a reason  
>Don't you stop believing in yourself<br>when you're broken._

Nathan leaves the room and goes to find Karen and Peyton. He finds them sitting together in the waiting room, along with Brooke who he realises then is a better friend to Peyton than he could have ever imagined. She has not left her side since she got there. He walks to where they are seated and asks "Hey Brooke, could I have a word with Peyton for a minute or two?"

"Yeah sure Nate, how is he doing?" Brooke asks looking up at him.

"Just the same" he says not wanting to tell her about Lucas squeezing his hand at that point as that is something he would rather talk to Peyton and Karen about before anyone else. "Okay, I will go get a coffee then" replies Brooke.

Nathan nods to Brooke and looks at Peyton, he begins to speak to her. "Peyton do you want to go for a walk?" he asks motioning towards the main door of the hospital.

Peyton looks up at him and sees the concern in his face and replies "Sure Nate, we can go for a walk" They head outside to go for a walk in the hospital grounds.

"Look Peyton, you really need to stop blaming yourself for this, it's not your fault, it's not anyone's fault" Nathan tells her after a few minutes of silence.

"What was he doing when he had the heart attack Nathan? What were you talking about?" she asks looking at Nathan curiously.

"Peyton I really don't think you need to worry about that" he tells her, not wanting to tell her that they were discussing her.

"You were talking about me weren't you?" she asks knowing that Nathan is keeping something from her.

Nathan does not reply immediately but stops to think for a moment and then begins…"Okay, yes we were talking about you but Peyton that is _not _the reason why he had a heart attack. He was supposed to be taking it a bit easier on the game but you know what Luke is like, he loves basketball, he pushes himself way too hard and as a result of that he put a strain on his heart. It was all too much for him; he should have taken more care of himself and slowed down a bit. If it's anyone's fault then I suppose you could say it is his own fault, not yours" he tells her.

Peyton is quiet for a moment, she nods and after a few minutes she turns and speaks to Nathan and asks him a question, "Nathan did Lucas tell you that he came to see me two months ago?"

"No he didn't why?" he asks her looking curious.

_Little girl don't be so blue  
>I know what you're going through<br>don't let it beat you up.  
>Hitting walls and getting scars<em>

_*Flashback* to two months ago…._

_There is a knock at the door; Peyton opens it to find Lucas standing there._

_"Lucas what are you doing here?"_

_"I had to see you Peyton, I am sorry for ambushing you, I needed to come here and tell you that I love you" he gushes out and leans in to kiss her full on the lips. Before long they end up inside the flat and in the bedroom on her bed. One thing leads to another and time flashes by and suddenly it is morning! Lucas is the first up in the morning and makes his way into the living room. He is stunned to find a__strange guy sitting there! Lucas lifts his hand to ruffle his hair as he always does in the morning and when he is confused and asks "Who are you?" _

_"I was about to ask you the same thing, I'm Kyle a friend of Peyton's, and you are?" the guy answers nonchalantly._

_"I'm Lucas." he answers._

_"Oh um well, yeah I should just go, can you tell Peyton I will see her later on?" Kyle says getting up off the couch and out the door._

_Kyle leaves without further ado and Lucas stands there with a strange feeling of fury flowing through his body. He turns and walks back into the bedroom where Peyton is still in bed although she is waking up. _

_He almost yells at her "Who the hell is Kyle and why does he have a key to your apartment?"_

_"He's just a guy I met when I moved out here" explains Peyton defensively._

_"Are you sleeping with him?" Lucas asks in an angry tone._

_"No Lucas, I am not sleeping with him, and why would you ask that,__why are you acting this way? Kyle is just a friend who happens to have a key to my apartment in case of emergencies. He knows all about you and he knows that I have been a mess lately so he sometimes stops by to check on me that's all, I swear Lucas" she tries to explain almost in tears._

_"Yeah sure it is, look I gotta go, goodbye Peyton" Lucas says gathering his things and leaving._

_"Lucas wait can't we talk about this?" Peyton says running after him with only a sheet around her._

_"There is nothing left to say." Lucas then storms out and leaves Peyton sitting there crying in the middle of her living room floor"_

_***End Flashback***_

_Only makes you who you are  
>Only makes you who you are.<br>No matter how much your heart is aching  
>There is beauty in the breaking<br>Yeah_

Nathan listened to Peyton tell her story of what happened between her and Lucas that night and then he said "Peyton I am so sorry and my brother is an idiot. So what you are telling me and what you were trying to tell Luke is that this guy Kyle is just a friend right?" Nathan asks after hearing what happened.

"Yep, Kyle is just a friend nothing could or would ever happen between us because he's gay" she answers "Lucas of course didn't let me tell him that part" she said glumly.

"Boy, my brother is a bigger idiot that I thought, so he would even let you talk to him or explain anything?" Nathan asks as he thinks to himself that things seem a lot clearer now about how Lucas had been acting lately.

"No he just walked out left like before when we were in the hotel room. I should have gone after him and made him talk to me, so now do you why all of this is my fault?" Peyton asks with tears in her eyes.

"Actually Peyton I don't, what I do see is what an idiot and a jerk my brother is, he let his jealousy overrule him so it is not your fault Blondie okay?" Nathan tells her taking her in his arms and hugging her.

Peyton pulls out of his embrace and says "We should probably get back in there; I don't want to be gone too long"

"Yeah you're right but I want you to know that both Haley and I are here for you whenever you need us" he says honestly.

"Thank you Nathan." Peyton says leaning on Nathan as they walk back into the hospital. When they reach the waiting room they see a blonde woman that Peyton doesn't recognize talking to Haley, Brooke is back in the room with Lucas.

_When you're broken, in a million little pieces  
>and you're trying, but you can't hold on anymore<em>

"Oh Peyton you guys are back, um Peyton this is Lindsey Strauss, she is editing Lucas's book. Lindsey this is Peyton Sawyer" Haley introduces the two women.

"Hi Peyton I have heard so much about you from Lucas" Lindsey replies gushing.

"Thanks, it's nice to meet you although I just wish it was in better circumstances" Peyton answers suddenly unsure of who this woman really is to Lucas or for that matter why she is here now"!

"Yes, it's finally nice to meet you, I know things haven't been that great between you and Lucas but I would just like to let you know that I am always rooting for the couple in the book" Lindsey says with a smile.

_Every tear falls down for a reason  
>Don't you stop believing in yourself<br>when you're broken._

"Thank you Lindsey that really does mean a lot to me" Peyton says with the best fake smile she can muster. She doesn't know why but for some reason she doesn't trust this woman, not one inch!

Brooke is sitting beside Lucas' bed talking to him about high school, basketball and cheerleading in an effort to get a reaction from him but she seems to be failing miserably.

"Okay Luke I know that this isn't easy on you, but you know, it's really hard on us too, I mean how do you think you would feel if the roles were reversed? So you gotta wake up Luke or at least give us a sign that your still in there" Suddenly Brooke feels a light pressure on her hand and looks down in amazement. She thinks to herself, _"did that just happen or did she dream it"_

What Brooke does not know at this point is that this is the second time Lucas has done this and this time the pressure was a little harder than it was with Nathan. Brooke took a deep breath, she wanted to scream and shout about what just happened but she was scared to do so in case it had just been her imagination and she really didn't want to get everyone's hopes up if it was not true.

Brooke leans forward and whispers softly to Lucas saying "Okay broody, I know you are in there and you are still with us, now I don't want to go and get everyone's up so let us keep this as our little secret for now or until you get yourself together and wake up for good, right?" Brooke stands up and bends to place a gentle kiss on Lucas's forehead and says softly "Remember I love you Lucas Scott, we all do!"

Brooke moves to leave the room and just then Peyton appears at the bottom of Lucas's bed, Brooke greets her with a hug "Hey there P Sawyer, how you holding up friend?"

_Better days are you gonna find you once again  
>everything will find its place<em>

"Brooke I am just so tired, scared and feel as though there is a huge hole in my heart right now where Lucas should be, I really need him to wake up and tell me everything will be okay, I need for him to be okay Brooke because I honestly don't know what I am gonna do without him" she said in a broken voice as she began to sob broken heartedly.

"Listen to me P Sawyer, you are _not_ going to live without him, he is going to wake up and you guys are going to sort out whatever has happened between you, you are going to happy, you are meant to be together, you're in love" said Brooke with sheer determination and strength. "Now sit here beside the boy you love and talk to him, tell him how much you love him and tell him you are never going to leave him" Brooke continued as she hugged Peyton and then left them alone.

_When you're broken, when you're broken_

"Hey baby, it's me. Look, I need you to listen to me for a moment, I know the last few months have not been good for either of us, I have missed you so much and I really need to explain what happened that day because it was really not what you think. In fact when you do find out you are gonna laugh so hard because it really is too funny anyway. I need you to wake up Luke, I need you here beside me, you make me strong and make everything better for me. I really love you Luke and it's a big deal and I know you love me too. True Love Always Luke, remember that always. Oh God Luke, I have a secret that I really need to tell you so please please wake up." Peyton says crying.

_When you're broken, in a million little pieces  
>And you're trying, but you can't hold on anymore<br>Every tear falls down for a reason  
>Don't you stop believing in yourself<br>When you're broken._

_Oh when you're broken  
>when you're broken<br>when you're broken_


End file.
